Marcos Jr., Lee seal 10 MOUs to boost cooperation in key sectors

The governments of the Philippines and South Korea on Tuesday signed 10 memoranda of understanding (MOUs) aimed at strengthening cooperation in key sectors, including trade, digitalization, agriculture, defense, education, and law enforcement.

Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. welcomed the agreements on the first day of the state visit of Lee Jae Myung, describing them as measures that will sustain the momentum of the Philippines–Republic of Korea (ROK) Strategic Partnership.

“We have concluded several agreements in the fields of defense materials procurement, veterans affairs, agriculture, trade, investment and economic cooperation, intellectual property, digital cooperation, digitalization and innovation, Korean language training in schools, cultural cooperation, and police cooperation,” Marcos said during a joint press conference at Malacañang Palace.

The two countries elevated their ties to a strategic partnership in 2024, paving the way for expanded collaboration in areas of mutual interest.

Marcos and Lee witnessed the exchange of signed agreements between Philippine and Korean officials during a ceremony at the Palace.

Among the agreements signed were: a digital cooperation deal between the Department of Information and Communications Technology and Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT; a technology, digitalization and innovation partnership between the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development and Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and an amendment to an existing implementing arrangement between the Department of National Defense and Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration covering the procurement of defense materials.

Additional MOUs covered cooperation in veterans affairs, agriculture, trade and investment, intellectual property, Korean language education in Philippine schools, cultural exchanges, and police cooperation between the Philippine National Police and the Korean National Police Agency.

Marcos said Lee’s visit coincided with the 77th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, highlighting their longstanding ties dating back to the Korean War, when the Philippines deployed the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea (PEFTOK).

Aside from the signing of agreements, the two leaders held bilateral talks covering defense and security, maritime cooperation, economic and development partnership, and people-to-people exchanges.

Marcos said both sides reaffirmed their commitment to deepening trade and investment ties and expressed optimism over maximizing the benefits of the Philippines–ROK Free Trade Agreement.

For his part, Lee described the Philippines as “an old friend and a key partner nation,” noting that it was the first ASEAN member to establish diplomatic relations with Korea and the first Asian country to send troops during the Korean War.

Over the past 77 years, Lee said, bilateral relations have grown steadily, anchored on shared history and expanding cooperation across various sectors.